Millenial LifehackerI run, I travel, and I tinker. This site was created to capture all of those moments.
http://ericreichert.com/
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 14:25:00 +0000Wed, 24 Oct 2018 14:25:00 +0000Jekyll v3.7.4Why the word "No" is an important word to have in your vocabulary<p>We’re surrounded by yes-men from our very first day on the job all the way up until the point where we become self-actualized (if you’re so lucky), where your direct reports are doing your bidding for you. Saying yes helps us get ahead in the work place, it shows respect to our peers, and proves that we possess a “can-do” attitude… assuming you can deliver, but at what cost do we pay? Does it always raise the bar? Should we instead be more selective when saying the word yes, so that when we do, we can make it count? Here are four reasons, from a person who says yes far too often (ask my fiancé), why you should keep the word “no” in your 8-5 vocabulary.</p>
<p><strong>1.We’re busy people</strong></p>
<p>It’s generally considered good career advice to stay (look) busy and keep a full plate, even if your one of the dozen or so people who figured out how to completely automate their jobs. For the rest of us, who have to email and not sound like a robot…, it’s a constant balancing act of taking on additional responsibility, while managing our current commitments. At first its a new committee, where they’re looking for f̶r̶e̶s̶h̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶o̶d̶ new members, then it’s a company event or two, next thing you know it’s a couple of new side projects, a few hierarchical dotted lines… you get the gist. Because of this, we often see these opportunities of personal development as potentially detrimental drains on our productive minutes. If we were to focus on “the ask” and how well it aligns with our individual values and corporate goals, that would be a better mechanism of deciding yay-or-nay vs. a typical reluctant yes.</p>
<p><strong>2. It’s a trust-worthy signal</strong></p>
<p>Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to participate in over 100+ sales call, which is sadly not as common as it should be in development roles. The risk that you run when you aren’t in constant contact with customers is an underlying need to immediately please their needs, figuring out the rest of the details as you go. This gets dicey… fast, in my opinion, because not all people want to know what your willing to put on your strategic development plan over the next few years, they want to know what you can deliver on today or maybe tomorrow. By saying no, I’ve encountered end customers tell me that we’ve been the first supplier to provide true transparency. No doesn’t mean that you are unwilling to look into a subject further, it just means that you don’t have an absolute answer today. There’s a difference and for some customers, it’s key.</p>
<p><strong>3. You can be more effective when you do say “yes”</strong></p>
<p>How many of you have heard of Tim Ferriss’ book the Four Hour Work Week? It’s a pretty compelling idea, right? Spend the majority of your time focusing on what you know will bring you merit versus on cyclical tasks that are a drain on time and other resources. While four hours may be an extremists version of saying no, the underlying principles are the same. As Tim points out, “what if you could 10x your per-hour output” how far would you go to make that your reality?</p>
<p><strong>4. You have more power than you think</strong></p>
<p>All too often, we find ourselves in positions where we feel powerless and where we must abide to what is asked of us. We may be asked, but its worded in such a way, where there aren’t multiple choice answers, just a box–and its your turn to check it. This, while seemingly common, is in most instances not a capture of the full picture. While we may not have legitimate authority or visible power that we can harness, we always have the opportunity to dissent and question the process. How do we dissent? We can offer alternative solutions, we can repeatedly voice our concerns, all while showing direct factual appeal to go against the binary thinking we’ve encountered. That’s not to say that you should wield the power of no lightly, as along with it, you may need be be persuasive by utilizing logical reasoning or a bit of bargaining. But what it is to say, is that you have options and the empowerment to break the status quo… because we’re never truly powerless.</p>
<p>Its true… there’s some inherent value in providing a resounding yes to your customers, but there’s also associated risk. The chance that you’ll underwhelm them if your unprepared, that you aren’t sure of what your committing to, or that your overburdened and unwilling to let them in on that small little detail. It’s important to be eager, wanting to will yourself to please others, but you have to know that it’s at a cost at times. Do you know others who never say no? Have you agreed to something before and immediately regretted it? Tag a friend who could use a refresher on how to say no. Comment below a story of when you wished you had said no, or where you were glad you did.</p>
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2018/10/10/Tell-Your-Customers-No.html
http://ericreichert.com/2018/10/10/Tell-Your-Customers-No.htmlI worked out for 90 days straight, lost a bet, but still learned a lot<p>As every year comes to an end, people always come up with ways that they are going to make a better version of themselves the coming year.</p>
<p>There will be those that want to do less (e.g. spend, eat, drink) and those that want to do more (e.g. time with family, workout, healthy habits). Some of the research shows that it takes roughly 21 days to form the habit, but as we all experience each year, most don’t even make it that far.</p>
<p>This year I chose a “do more” resolution, specific to exercise. I had made the goal and a bet with a friend (pride not prize) to exercise every day for 30 minutes. The intention was pure cardio, but we’d make exceptions along the way if both parties agreed. As you’ve realized by reading the title, I lost, but I still took away some important nuggets.</p>
<p><strong>Procrastination can be a byproduct of your priorities</strong></p>
<p>There were 18 days where I started my workout after 10PM. I had cut it close to the 12PM deadline multiple times and was within mere minutes on a few occasions. By putting the task off to the last minute, the quality of the workout and whatever else I was doing at the time, was generally not my best. I’d rationalize that the procrastination was due to wanting to give myself some much deserved “rest”, but often it was because I had prioritized other events (e.g. grad school work, seeing friends) above it. However, despite waiting late, there was always a sense of accomplishment finishing the task and watching the streak grow higher. By finding time to do my activities throughout the day (e.g. in the morning, over lunch), I wasn’t waiting until the clock struck 11:30.</p>
<p><strong>Accountability is KING</strong></p>
<p>The most important element of keeping the streak alive was having another person pushing me each and every day. Having your significant other/family hold you accountable only goes so far, but by having another companion stride for stride, the competitive beast within me wanted to push on day after day. In case you’re wondering at this point, my friend’s streak is still going strong, but his next test is being realized as you read as he seeks to continue his own lone race.</p>
<p><strong>Quantity and quality are quite different</strong></p>
<p>One of the first decisions when starting a streak/habit/resolution is determining the metrics/stipulations. In the case of my bet, it was 30 minutes of exercise a day. By having a minimum, there’s the risk that one will do just enough to get by and get to the next day. On 34 of my 90 days, I did exactly that and completed less than 35 minutes of exercise. I would often wonder if I had taken rest days on some of those low volume days, would the weekly total have outweighed what it was, because I would have wanted to do more another day. I would also think about those late night workouts and how they’d affect my sleep and my productivity the next day. It all looked to confirm the notion that quality should outweigh quantity, in this case mean is a better metric than mode.</p>
<p><strong>Rest is important</strong></p>
<p>You’ve most likely realized that I’ve yet to detail why I stopped the streak. Was it because I wanted to elevate my friend’s pride and give him the upper hand on the first of many wagers… I wish! It was as many of you could guess due to injury. This was also the most transferable lesson of the bunch, because burnout does not always represent itself with a calf-strain, as it did in my case. At the workplace, many find themselves in a similar pattern as what I succumbed to, but they generally do not have the option to stop. This is why it is important to incorporate rest into your routine, whether it be 30 minutes in the morning to plan out your day, or 15 minutes after lunch to stretch out your legs.</p>
<p>Now that my streak is over, the pressure is gone and my pride is not <strong>totally</strong> shot. I learned a lot about how to set my priorities, focus on the quality of my work, and to incorporate rest when needed. Most of all, I learned that your effectiveness is only as good as your network of support. I’ll continue to support my friend in his pursuit, just as we all should support the rest of our teammates in their own respective goals in life.</p>
Thu, 25 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2018/01/25/Running-Bet.html
http://ericreichert.com/2018/01/25/Running-Bet.htmlRunning Year in Review<p><img src="http://ericreichert.com/assets/2015-strava.png" alt="2015Strava" /></p>
Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2016/01/01/2015-running.html
http://ericreichert.com/2016/01/01/2015-running.htmlMoving from Wordpress to Jekyll<p>As I was going over my budget for 2016, I was looking at some of my fixed costs each year. One cost that I had considered lowering in the past was my hosting service, which spread out over the year amounted to $107.88 ($8.99/mo). I had considered looking for alternative vendors (S3 Buckets) in the past, but have never made any moves away from GoDaddy, even though I had highly considered doing so after their SOPA debacle. What ultimately made me switch, was something that I had read on a <a href="http://paulstamatiou.com/how-to-wordpress-to-jekyll/">blog post</a> that opened my eyes.</p>
<p>By switching my blog from the Wordpress CMS to Jekyll, I’d be accomplishing a few things :</p>
<p>1) Gaining a few skills</p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>- Git/GitHub
- Markdown
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>2) Making my site easily portable</p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>- It'd be static text
- Bonus of loading quicker
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>3) Saving money</p>
<div class="highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>- Github pages is $0 vs. $107.88
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>While this process is going to be a work in progress, since I may take the time to build some custom CSS, it won’t be done in vain.</p>
<p>Picture of my previous website on wordpress :</p>
<p><img src="http://ericreichert.com/assets/wordpress-site.png" alt="wordpress-site" /></p>
Thu, 31 Dec 2015 14:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2015/12/31/Moving-from-Wordpress-to-Jekyll.html
http://ericreichert.com/2015/12/31/Moving-from-Wordpress-to-Jekyll.htmlSustaining Social Responsibility<p>From all accounts, Peter Buffett is known internationally as a trailblazer, an activist, a musician, a philanthropist and most notedly, none other than Warren Buffett’s youngest son. But surprisingly, to his own accord, none of his accomplishments were rooted in his father’s money, but were instead founded by his choice of passion over traditional conventions.</p>
<p>While new cars, new houses, and piles of money may come to mind when thinking of Peter’s upbringing, he sheds light that one’s demeanor is deterministic of lifestyle choices and parental guidance, with his, of course, breaking our idealistic social norm. To add to his family’s merit, it should be noted that Peter’s story began in an era where consumer culture was starting to flourish, yet an extravagant lifestyle was neither seen nor sought by his family. He grew up not only amiss to what his dad was doing, but also unaware as to the extent of the money earned, as it was never his fathers goal. Fittingly enough, Peter too found success when he unknowingly became involved with a now infamous music station, MTV. Through sound bites, commercials, and his widely known scoring of a scene from Dances with Wolves, Peter forged his own path on an unconventional journey, away from the Hollywood lights and the Los Angeles boulevard.</p>
<p>Peter and his wife, Jennifer, began their philanthropic quest in 1999 with the creation of the Spirit Foundation, which later on was renamed to the NoVo foundation. With one billion dollars to give away over the lifetime of the foundation, Peter and his wife have traveled and sought out parts of the world that could flourish if given the opportunity. They learned a great deal, but most importantly to listen, and it was through these years that NoVo derived its mission to appreciate the worlds most undervalued asset, a girl.</p>
<p>When questioned as to how his foundation would lay the groundwork for generation Y, he responded by saying that in all revolutionary instances, there was someone to lead the way, whether it be with money, people, force, or simply time, and he hopes that his foundation is that like-minded catalyst for change. While millennials may not be as cultured or aware as to some of the world issues, there are still grass-root efforts which can contribute to the broader message. Any effort that brings us closer to determining the root cause of our issues, separating symptoms from causation, is working towards a greater good, which is exactly the definition of philanthropy.</p>
<p>Millennials can be challenged to look down their own streets, because as Peter has mentioned, acts of malice take place on the other side of the world but also are no stranger to our local communities. Too often it takes tragedy or acts of god to dismantle the walls that divide our communities, but when we do tear them down and form relationship based livelihood, we prosper. Local community is the root of world-wide revitalization, because as Peter mentioned, if you live in a town where your banker is also your friend, your neighbor, and your fellow city dweller, there is a relationship of trust and most importantly, social responsibility.</p>
<p>Peter Buffett is author of New York Times best-seller Life Is What You Make It, a book which recounts his upbringing and what shaped his identity and beliefs.</p>
Tue, 01 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2015/09/01/Millenials-Tasked-to-Sustain-Social-Responsibility.html
http://ericreichert.com/2015/09/01/Millenials-Tasked-to-Sustain-Social-Responsibility.htmlWin XP Don't Get Left Behind<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p>
<p>When Chaucer said that all good things must come to an end, he undoubtedly was not referring to Windows XP’s end of life. However, as XP has just passed 12 years of existence, there are plenty of IT directors and CIOs that would still claim the parallel exists, since support is scheduled to end in April 2014. As punny as the topic can be portrayed, the sunset of such a beloved operating system is not humorous to those who standardized. With its departure, current users will lose their continued support, inclusive of security patches, hotfixes, and bug fixes, which kept everything running smoothly. Licensed computers might soon be portrayed as potential vulnerabilities and threats to the processes and applications that they control, which in turn could lead to a mass exodus of XP users. Since data from Net Applications, a web analytics firm, shows that 31.6 percent of users are still on this platform as of October 2013,1 the topic is fuming with speculation as to whether or not corporations should make the switch and whether or not this end of life (EOL) is of concern to them. While no one expects that come April 9, they will walk into their factories and experience immediate downtime and attacks, those that have standardized on the platform realize that the threat is imminent nonetheless. Leading up to this event, there will be both those making the argument for the upgrade, as well as those opposing it. This white paper will highlight both schools of thought and the role a supplier could play in either scenario.</p>
<p><strong>Afflicted Users</strong></p>
<p>Since customers that have industrial PCs need to
manage multiple lifecycles when maintaining their
systems, they have to ensure that drivers are up-todate
based on chipset revisions, hard drives aren’t
nearing end of life, and many other subtleties that could
ultimately lead to downtime during their process. A
particular worry is the security holes that can develop
in their system when it is attached to a public network.
Contrary to a private network, where computers aren’t
connected to the outside world via the Internet, public
networks are vulnerable to hackers and viruses. These
kinds of vulnerabilities are what causes administrators
to apply security patches and take additional measures,
such as the Phoenix Contact mGuard security device,
to ensure their cyber security. However, in order for
security patches to be released, the operating system
needs to still be under support by Microsoft.
Back in 2002, Microsoft released a Support Lifecycle
policy that offered more transparency to its end
consumers. The policy stated that Windows products
would receive a minimum of 10 years of support, with
five years mainstream and the other five extended
support. Due to this transparency, customers could
plan accordingly and upgrade their systems to the
successor, allowing them to receive security patches
on the upgraded system.
Based upon the aforementioned data, some would
argue that only computers connected to the outside
world (i.e., the Internet) would be afflicted and be
candidates for change. However, even networks not
attached to the Internet run the risk of being exploited
remotely. In the case of Windows XP, best practice
is to switch to a succeeding version such as Win 7
or Win 8.
Since Microsoft notes that the average enterprise
deployment can take 18 to 32 months, urgency
depends upon the potential risk XP users are willing
to endure. For users on networks connected to the
Internet, the urgency to beat the April 8 deadline is
formidable. For customers that need to make the
switch but are unable to by April 8, certain suppliers
have the ability to still sell licenses after the April 8
deadline, but there will still be no patches/support. The
extension should also allow companies that are late on
their switch to allocate the funding and resources</p>
<p><strong>Two Trains of thought</strong></p>
<p><em>It’s not broken, so don’t fix it</em></p>
<p>To those that find XP’s end of life a moot point due to
an “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mentality, realize that
by not taking action, you are preventing future action.
If your company abides by a Kaizen strategy, where
there is momentum toward continual improvement,
realize that changing the computer image could be
an extremely sensitive matter, as you would need
to ensure that you don’t expose yourself to new
vulnerabilities and threats. Presumably, most users that
would continue to use XP after the EOL would not be
on an open network subject to outside threats, but if
that were to ever change, there would be an imminent
threat of attacks.
A new theme within the control segment is this exact
concept, known as future-proofing, where a company
makes decisions today that could potentially impact
decisions a few years from now. While this theme could
more easily be exhibited with a computer feature, such
as multi-touch, it is still just as applicable with operating
systems. However, we understand that continual
improvement isn’t necessarily a key performance
indicator, and there are costs, support, and uncertainty
paired with such an upgrade. The question at that
point becomes whether or not the current stability
outweighs the future potential of added functionality,
efficiencies and long-term cost savings.</p>
<p>While some would argue that attackers would spend
their time focusing on systems representative of the
majority of users, according to Net Applications, WIN
XP users still represent a staggering 31.6 percent of
users as of October 2013. While the United States
only has 16.2% still using this platform, other prominent
countries in the tech world, such as China, have a gutwrenching
72.1 percent. Assuming that these numbers
are considerable enough for attackers worldwide,
it is only a matter of time before vulnerabilities are
discovered. (Figure 1)
One might ask how they are discovered so quickly. It is
actually in part by the work produced by the Microsoft
Security Response Center (MSRC). Although seemingly
backwards, since the MSRC’s intention is to secure the
systems they support, each release of an update leads
the way for hackers to discover where they should
focus their efforts next.</p>
<p>Since MSRC patches both reactively and proactively,
each update is an opportunity for attackers to reverseengineer
the fixes to see where potential vulnerabilities
once were. Due to the fact that unsupported platforms
never received the packages, the reverse engineering
allows an entryway into all systems that have passed
their security update sunset.
While the obvious solution might be to upgrade to a
newer operating system, sometimes one simply can’t,
due to the significant costs and interruptions. Software
upgrades within an operating production network
commonly encounter unintended and unanticipated
consequences.
Another viable alternative solution is to use distributed
security appliances, such as those based on Phoenix
Contact’s mGuard technology. Those hardware
firewalls/routers protect non-patchable legacy systems
on the network. In addition, they can be easily installed
by plant-floor technicians without interrupting
production, plus they can be configured and launched
from a central server console. The resulting advantage
is a low-cost hardening of these systems by a simple
and transparent installation of plug-and-play modules
wherever required.
With mGuard CIFS Integrity Monitoring, Phoenix
Contact offers an industry-suitable solution to protect
Windows-based automation components against
malware and malicious attacks. To achieve this, mGuard
Integrity Monitoring supervises file systems against
unexpected modifications or additions to programs,
dynamic link libraries, and other executable code
without utilizing virus patterns – thus eliminating the
need for their permanent update. This innovation can
even detect damages from zero-day exploits for which
virus patterns don’t even exist yet.</p>
<p><em>Who, how, what, when, where!</em></p>
<p>The second school of thought does not deal with
whether or not a corporation should make the
switch, but rather how they will perform the switch.
While the majority of this plan needs to be based on
a case-by-case basis, there are several common
underlying rules that companies can follow to best
structure their switch.</p>
<p>First and foremost, they should make sure that the
supplier they are using to convert their units is able
to offer WIN XP licenses past the sunset date. Since
it takes nearly a year and a half for most corporations
to make the switch, they would want to make sure
that in the interim there are still methods to fulfill
their current business model until everything is set
in place for the upgraded units. Otherwise, on top
of the upgrade expenses there would be additional
opportunity cost from the lost business.
When everything is in place for the upgrade
process to begin, it makes the most sense to outline
a schedule for the implementation of upgraded units.
This schedule will be contingent upon how many
units can be installed in any given week. This number
should be conservative, as it doesn’t make sense to
have units sitting on the shelf. Only under extreme
circumstances would a customer want to purchase
the units up front, they might need to make additional
changes that were unbeknownst until that moment.
It’s also important to note that industrial PCs generally
have limited warranties, so in order to receive the
maximum warranty they would need to be put into
use immediately.
By staging the implementation and purchasing through
a supplier with extended license support, companies
are able to control a situation that easily could have
become volatile without the proper attention to detail.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Now is the time to plan ahead and to start futureproofing
your industrial PC. Without extended support
or a feasible downgrade path, you can potentially
expose your IPC – and worse yet, your entire business
– to security risks that far outweigh the cost of an OS
upgrade. If your IPC hardware is no longer state-ofthe-art,
it might make sense to replace the outdated
hardware with a new, better-performing, energyefficient
IPC, switch to a newer OS, and upgrade your
security system with the latest mGuard technology.
Not only will the new hardware enhance productivity,
it will also safeguard you from unwanted downtime due
to security breaches.</p>
<p>References:</p>
<ol>
<li>Net Applications, “Realtime Web Analytics
With no Sampling.” NetMarketShare.com.
October 16, 2013. &lt;http://netmarketshare.
com/operating-system-market-share.
aspx?qprid=10&amp;qpcustomd=0&gt;</li>
</ol>
Thu, 24 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2013/10/24/WinXP-Dont-Get-Left-Behind.html
http://ericreichert.com/2013/10/24/WinXP-Dont-Get-Left-Behind.htmlIch bin Berliner<p>Kennedy may have said it wrong, but Dan and I made sure we wouldn’t make the same mistake. To even call it a mistake is slighting Kennedy. We were able to see the history and the city where he made one of his most iconic speeches.</p>
<p>Berlin is a dynamic location, it is full of history but manages to stay current as well. The first thing you’ll realize about Berlin is that it isn’t built the same way our cities are in the US. You won’t find Sky Scrapers or many buildings with more than 10 floors. The highest points are either church steeples or TV towers. However, just because there aren’t many tall buildings does not mean the buildings lack grandeur. The architecture and attention to detail is beautiful. These buildings weren’t constructed in a few years, they are works of art in themselves.</p>
<p>My journey to Berlin started on Wednesdays night, when I made my way to Dan’s apartment to spend the night. Their apartments are only a ten minute walk to the train station, so it makes sense to stay with them when I’m travelling. My plan for the weekend was to board a train on Thursday morning, arrive in Berlin, find my hostel, and then explore. Dan and Julio were planning to meet me Friday night since they didn’t have the same regional holiday I did.</p>
<p>Thursday and Friday were essentially days that I was on my own. So naturally, I made sure to use the most of them! I travelled everywhere by foot and had my bearings by the end of the first night. On Thursday, I took a lot of pictures and visited a lot of stores. Since Berlin was the first big city I had visited in Germany, it was my first opportunity to see what the stores were like.</p>
<p>I walked throughout a mall or two and was quite impressed by the selections that they had in Germany. Most of the companies I had never head of, but they also had some of the bigger brands that I’d image you’d find anywhere. Within a H&amp;M store, I found two shirts that I purchased. One was a white boating shirt and the other was a long sleeve pullover. I liked the styles and imagine it would be hard to find them in the US.</p>
<p>After I was bored walking through malls, I decided I wanted to see some history. When I had walked from the train station to my hostel I had passed a few museums that interested me. One in particular was the Pergamon Museum. Fall semester of my junior year, I took an Art History class that detailed some of the art work within this museum. I had remembered the name and instantly knew that the Ishtar gate was inside. I made my way from the mall to the museum and paid entry (It was cheaper for me since I’m a student). There were various friezes and mosaic tiled floor arrangements. However, for me, seeing the Ishtar gate was the highlight. The craftsmanship involved in created that, literally blows my mind. You can easily see with your eyes the detail and time that was spent creating it. I find it harder to see such craftsmanship in today’s society … but I have also yet to travel to Dubai.</p>
<p>After I finished touring the Pergamon Museum, I travelled to the Berliner Döm. This building alone made my trip to Berlin worth it for me. I sat in front of the Berliner Döm for about an hour just appreciating it. It has a fountain directly in front of it that makes the environment soothing. You are able to see the Berliner Döm from most places near the Alexander Platz. Colin Lynch would be proud because I used this location to read the book he gave me, The Rising Sun. I wish that I had a place like the Berliner Döm in Blomberg so that I could go there everyday to read and relax. I suppose I’ll just have to find a place of my own.</p>
<p>After reading for about an hour, I decided that it was time to meet some other travellers. So, naturally I headed to the bar in my hostel. I managed to meet someone from Liverpool that was also travelling alone. He had travelled for about a week but was going to continue travelling for what seemed like months. We both decided that we would meet up the next day and tour some more sights. The same night at the bar I met 3 girls from Ireland, 3 guys from Switzerland, and a group of people from Poland. The hostel was a trendy establishment and not quite what I had pictured. I might have just been lucky with the weekend I was there, but all the people were friendly and open-minded.</p>
<p>The next morning, Ian and I grabbed breakfast at 10:00 and then hit the city. We navigated our way to the Brandenburg Gate, British Consulate, and a few stores for shopping. The previous day, Ian had dropped his phone in the elevator and his battery had fallen down the shaft… now that is bad luck. Luckily, we were able to find him a replacement in the electronics store Saturn.</p>
<p>All I’m going to say about Saturn is that it was Geek heaven. There were 4 floors worth of electronics and they literally had everything you could imagine..</p>
<p>After Ian and I toured the sites and grabbed some food, we made our way back to the hostel. I had told Dan and Julio that I would meet him there that night and since I had no way of contacting them, it was important that I stayed true to my word.</p>
<p>When you saw part one in the title, you knew that this blog post was eventually going to split up … and that point is now. Part two will encompass the point when I met my guest(s) later on that night…</p>
<p>Hope that are enjoying my posts! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!</p>
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2011/07/06/ich-bin-berliner.html
http://ericreichert.com/2011/07/06/ich-bin-berliner.htmlDifferences between Germany and USA<p>For this blog post, I thought I’d branch out in another direction. I know that before I came to Germany the main thing I was doing was preparing for all the change. I was trying to make sure that my transition would be smooth … and it has been.</p>
<p>However, there were a lot more minor differences that I’ve noticed that I didn’t expect. Being cultured means that I can accept the difference and then form an unbiased opinion. It hasn’t been hard to accept the changes, because front my point of view, most of them have been for the better; improvements if you will.</p>
<p>So.. what you’ve been waiting for, my list. I’ll go into detail when I find it fitting. I’ve gone ahead and ordered the list by most expected to least expected, so some of the ones at the top will be quite obvious.</p>
<ol>
<li>Language</li>
<li>Money</li>
<li>Outlets for devices</li>
<li>Drinking age</li>
<li>Metric System</li>
<li>Shops closed on Sunday</li>
</ol>
<p>The aforementioned list I expected .. it’s the following that I did not :</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Shopping carts
You insert a Euro coin every time that you use one, once you put the cart away it gives you your Euro back. Smart!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Hole punches in paper
Not sure why but there are only two holes instead of three… and they are located towards the middle of the page. Then again, I’m really not sure why we have 3 in America.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Direction doors open
For some reason I’m an idiot when it comes to opening doors in Germany. Apparently the direction they open depends on whether the area is part of an escape route. I didn’t realize how nice those bars are that we push when exiting.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Flushing toilets
There are two buttons, I have no clue what the difference is between them.. I pick at random each time.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Traffic light locations
Instead of being across the street from where you stop, they are right in front of you.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Recycling
Germans are quite particular when it comes to recycling, everything has to be in a certain color bag and so forth..</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The way windows open
Windows might be like this in the US too, but here when you twist the handle so it is up and down, the window comes towards you like it is falling. Not going to lie.. was pretty scared today when I thought a huge window was going to crush me, my colleagues laughed.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Keyboards - Y and Z are switched
I have no clue why they are switched, it’s a curveball every day. Never realized how much I use those two letters. Just used them 5 times in this past sentence…</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Bathrooms at Fast Food places
You need to have a pass code that is located on your receipt… SMART!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Entrance/Exit in stores
I feel like some of the stores are like Ikea, I have to walk through the whole thing and then the cash register area.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Breakfast
They do it big in Germany, apparently they actually structure there meals like your suppose to eat them. The emphasis is on breakfast instead of dinner.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Drinking in public
It’s fair game… shocking.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>This concludes my blog for today, hope that you learned a thing or two about Germany. If there is anything else you’d like to know, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I appreciate all of you that are reading and hope that you enjoy doing so. Tell me what you think!</p>
Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/20/differences-between-germany-and-usa.html
http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/20/differences-between-germany-and-usa.htmlSchuetzen Fest<p>I’ll start this blog off by briefly describing what Schützenfest exactly is. Quite simply, it’s a marksman’s festival.</p>
<p>Each year there is a celebration where people gather to witness people compete based on their shooting skills. The winner of the competition in most cases, is the marksman who is able to shoot and hit the wooden eagle. He is then crowned the Schützenkonig and remains so until the next year.</p>
<p>When I went to this Schützenfest with Sven, Dan, and Julio, we did not see any of the actual shooting. Instead we witnessed the parade, fair, and after party. The whole celebration was stunning and wouldn’t be likened to anything in the US. After the parade, we all made our way to the tent where people drink and converse throughout the day. Apparently, the celebration lasts until the next morning and is then followed by a large breakfast. I’m starting to get the idea that most German holidays revolve around food and drinking, but I suppose they do everywhere. The difference is that the Germans can hold their alcohol.</p>
<p>As far as my group, we had 3 or 4 beers over a couple of hours and then biked to another beer garden where they had Weiss Beer. As far as Weiss Beer goes, I had my first and may have had my last. It was a very heavy drink and almost felt like it shouldn’t be a fluid. I suppose only real men drink Weiss Beer, I also suppose I’m not a real man yet…</p>
<p>All in all, I’m glad that we trekked our way to the festival and would be sure to go again. Luckily enough for me, Schützenfest takes place in different towns on different dates. The Schützenfest that most people know of takes place in Hannover and holds the fame for having the largest parade and largest portable ferris wheel in the world. Sadly, this festival takes place in September, so I will no longer be within Germany.</p>
<p>I’m beginning to feel cultured and am enjoying learning about the traditions and heritage of Germany!</p>
Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/15/schuetzen-fest.html
http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/15/schuetzen-fest.htmlHannover Havoc<p>I may have mentioned in an earlier blog, that I am now a world traveler … that statement was false.</p>
<p>When it comes to traveling, it is quite clear that I have a lot to learn. This past weekend, myself and two other colleagues decided to embark on an adventure to the city of Hannover. It is the largest city within an hour of our work, so we found it a fitting trip for our first friday night.</p>
<p>I suppose this story starts on Friday at 17:00, when I left work to head home. Since it was the weekend, it meant it was my first opportunity to borrow a car from the company and venture out of the roads of Germany. I know the first thing you are all thinking … AUTOBAHN! Sadly, I had no need to travel on the autobahn , so I’ll have to save that for another trip. But, I still had to navigate myself home from work and to an uncharted area. I managed well and was able to do so because I briefly brushed up on the signage before leaving work that day. You’d think that most things are universal no matter where you’d go, and you’d be right to a certain extent. However, it is the subtleties that are the difference between safe driving and a totalled car.</p>
<p>After I left work, I headed home to quickly pack a few items and then headed towards Bad Pyrmont, my first stop for the night. When I arrived, I was greeted by two colleagues (Dan Fenton and Julio Compean). They showed me around their apartments and treated me to my third beer in Germany. It was a Schwarze Bier (translated into Black Bier) so naturally it was a darker brew. I explained to them that I hadn’t eaten in a while and that I could go for a quick bite to eat before we left for Hannover. With ease, they were able to recommend the local Beer Garden.</p>
<p>Before I knew it, I was tasting an authentic German meal paired with a Löwenbräu, my Dad’s favorite. We were outside enjoying the weather and conversation when we noticed that it was going to be close to catch the train. We paid quickly and all started sprinting … towards nowhere. We soon realized that we had become a bit disoriented and weren’t sure which direction the train station was. After we asked a local, we had our bearings and were able to head out for the night. We made it to the train station, or rather .. I made it to the train station just as it was leaving. Julio and Dan had used better judgement and started walking when they realized what time it was.</p>
<p>One of the themes during this trip that you’ll soon realize was our groups ability to “be so close, but so far”. For the next hour, the three of us purchased our train tickets and chatted about various topics. These conversations were spoken in “Denglish”, which I previously described. Julio was luckily enough to had lived in Germany for a year before this experience, which is helpful for Dan and me, because he is able to fine tune our grammar.</p>
<p>This meant that we would have to spend the night in Hannover;a speed bump but not a major problem. We all walked back to the lockers and found the one in which we had stowed away all of our bags. I beckoned to Julio, “ The key please..”. He quickly searched all of his pockets and began to look dumbfounded. Dan and I at this point realized that our problems were growing. We all began to search our pockets to make sure that we hadn’t somehow wound up with the key. No luck.Once we boarded the train it was only about an hour to Hannover. The train ride went by quickly and we made it to the station without any hitches. When we arrived in Hannover, we decided that it’d be best to stow away our bags in one of the train station lockers, so we did so. Julio pocketed the key to the locker and we were off to explore. There were a lot of people walking around the town and the sky still glowed from the sun as it set. We made our way through various shopping malls and ultimately found a small club in the city square. We entered and were greeted by peers of our own ages, shocking compared to most of the club life in the states, or so I’ve heard. The music was blaring and the environment was engaging. Julio and I set our jackets down on a stool sitting next to Dan and proceeded on to the dance floor.</p>
<p>After a few hours of hearing songs I did know and didn’t know, we all decided that we had enough fun dancing and would begin to head back to Bad Pyrmont. This was the point where our troubles seemed to exponentially grow. We headed back to the train station to only when arrived that we were a half hour late to making the last train home to Bad Pyrmont…</p>
<p>Within an hour, we were without a train and without all of our stuff. Thankfully, I chose to keep everything important on me (i.e. my passport, keys, camera). The next two hours, we traced all of our steps to see if we had somehow dropped the key along our adventure. No luck. We soon realized that we would have to go to the information desk and report our key as missing. When we did so, they told us that we would have to wait until 7am to speak with the people who were in charge of the lockers.</p>
<p>Fantastic.</p>
<p>The rest of our night was spent in the McDonalds within the train station. We wouldn’t have had enough money or passports to have gotten a hotel room, so we had limited options. Staying within McDonalds was a superb decision. Julio and Dan slept as I watched all the other people come in after they had left other clubs. Before you start thinking that we were in the slums of some city, vulnerable to the wrath of mischievousness, let me explain where we were located. If I had to describe the place, I’d liken the train station to a mall and the mcdonalds to a food court. We were certainly out of harms way.</p>
<p>When seven o’ clock rolled around, I was somehow still wide awake and ready to head back to Bad Pyrmont. (This might be proof that my body still has no clue what time it is.) We made our way to the information desk and were then greeted by the official in charge of lockers. After explaining the contents of the locker, showing identification, and paying a 25 euro replacement key fee …. we had our bags. At that point, I was wondering if my t-shirt and shorts in the bag were worth the 8 euros I had just chipped in.</p>
<p>Once we had our bags, we proceeded to buy our train tickets. I looked at the ticket and figured out that we needed to be standing on the second track and that our train would leave in 5 minutes. Before I headed to track 2, Julio looked at the sign and saw a town near ours and realized we needed to actually be on track 1. Close call.</p>
<p>We boarded the train and sat down relaxing for the first time within a few hours. We were finally about to make our way back to Bad Pyrmont and this adventure would be over. I remember closing my eyes and thinking about all the obstacles we had encountered the previous night. <em>Nudge</em> <em>Nudge</em> Next thing I realize is that I’m being awoken by a man from the UBahn. No big deal I thought to myself, my train ticket is right here in my pocket. I reached in my pocket grabbed the ticket and handed it to the man. At this moment I realized he looked a bit timid. He looked down at me and said to me in German, “Wrong train.”</p>
<p>The first thing I thought to myself was track 2. Shoot! I knew that I had looked at the right listing and that we were not again, not where we wanted to be. He ushered us of the train and explained to us that in an hour another train would come and take us the rest of the way to Bad Pyrmont. I remember thinking to myself, sure it will. Knowing our luck, somehow the train will break down and we’ll have to walk the rest of the way. This didn’t wind up happening, but something else did.</p>
<p>Dan and Julio walked off the train with me and proceeded to the benches at the station. I walked over to the arrival/departure board to figure out what train we had to catch. After triple checking myself, I learned that our next train was going to come at 8:41. It was now 8:00 and a brisk morning. I sat down in between Julio and Dan and laughed to myself, I thought, “Well, I suppose this is what travelling is like for everyone.” Thinking about it now, hopefully it’s not.</p>
<p>Before I knew it, it was 8:41 and our train had come. A very long train arrived in front of us and stopped completely. I looked up at the destination before entering and thought it was odd that it still displayed Hammeln, the name of the station that we were now at. We sat down and began to get comfortable when we realized that all the other people at the station hadn’t boarded anywhere near us. Again, odd. It wasn’t until a women quickly ran over and approached us that I realized that the long train was in fact two trains. The one that we were sitting in, wasn’t going to be leaving the station, it was stopped. After feeling like a complete and utter idiot, we quickly ran over to the other train and boarded in just a nick of time.</p>
<p>Thankfully… thankfully, that was our last hiccup. From Hammeln, the train took us to Bad Pyrmont, where we were able to walk back to the apartment and take a nap for a good seven hours. Our adventure was over and our night would forever be known as Hannover Havoc.</p>
Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/14/hannover-havoc.html
http://ericreichert.com/2011/06/14/hannover-havoc.html